JPH0877484A - Meter inspection system - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: To provide the meter inspection system which easily and accurately inspect meters for the consumptions of gas, water supply, electricity, etc., without placing the burden on meter inspectors by reading the consumptions out only by directing a terminal to the meters installed in each consumer's house. CONSTITUTION: The meter inspection system reads the integrated values of the meters of electricity, gas, and water supply by sending an electromagnetic wave from the portable terminal and receiving it; when there are plural meters in the same place, call codes for calling the specific meters with the electromagnetic wave are set for the meter, and one of the meters is assigned as a management meter, which is stored with the discrimination codes and call codes of other meters in the same place. The terminal communicates with the management meter first to read its integrated value and receives the discrimination codes and call codes of other meters, and then inspects other meters on the basis of the received discrimination codes and call codes.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a meter reading system capable of easily measuring the amount of gas, water, electricity or the like used.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a meter for accumulating the consumption of gas, water, electricity, etc. has been provided for each customer, and a meter-reader regularly performs meter-reading work by reading the accumulated value of the meter. . In this meter-reading business, it is general that the meter-reader visually reads the integrated value of the meter, writes the value on the meter-reading slip, calculates the difference from the previous integrated value, and calculates the current usage amount. . On the other hand, in recent years, JP-A-63-128
As described in Japanese Patent Publication No. 499, a meter reader uses a portable terminal equipped with a transmission / reception device, and a transmission / reception device that can also transmit an integrated value to a meter is provided to transmit a transmission request signal and an integrated value signal between the terminal and the meter. A technology has been proposed for automating the meter-reading work by using the communication function used.

[0003]

In the above-mentioned prior art in which the meter-reader visually observes, there is a problem that when the usage amount of each customer is metered, the meter-reader is likely to make a mistake because of a lot of manual work. . In addition, the meter may have a different mounting position depending on each customer, or may be installed at a high place or a place that is difficult to approach, and thus it may be difficult to perform meter reading. For this reason, some meter readers use binoculars.

The object of the present invention is to read the usage amount by simply pointing the terminal to the meter installed in each customer, and to easily and accurately read gas, water, electricity, etc. without burdening the meter reader. An object of the present invention is to provide a meter-reading system capable of metering the usage amount of

Another object of the present invention is to provide a meter reading system for reading a meter by radio waves, which enables efficient reading without interference even when a plurality of meters are installed. Especially.

[0006] Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a meter reading system capable of efficiently performing initial setting of a meter.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide a meter-reading system capable of early detection of an abnormal reading value of a meter.

[0008]

[Means and Actions for Solving the Problems] In order to achieve the above object, the following may be performed. The present application is a meter for accumulating the cumulative value of the amount of energy or service provided such as electricity, water, gas, etc. It is applied to the meter reading system. For this electromagnetic wave, for example, a radio wave, an infrared ray or the like can be used. In order to automatically perform meter reading, a transmission instruction signal is transmitted from the terminal, and in response to this, the meter returns an integrated value and an identification code. As a result, the terminal searches for a customer corresponding to the received identification code and totalizes the value. The identification code is a code unique to the meter for identifying the meter.

When there are a plurality of meters in the same place in the meter reading system by such electromagnetic waves, a calling code for calling a specific meter by the electromagnetic waves is set in each meter. A tone squelch circuit or a code squelch circuit can be used for this calling signal. One of the plurality of meters is assigned as a management meter, and the management meter manages the other meters at that location. Specifically, a table is provided in the management meter and the identification code and call code of other meters are stored.

When the meter is read by the terminal, the meter is first contacted to read the integrated value, and the identification code and call code of the other meters are received. The terminal sequentially sends a transmission instruction signal and the identification code received from the control meter to each meter, and each meter searches for a match / mismatch with the preset identification code. If they match, the integrated value and the identification code are displayed on the terminal. Send to.

When initializing these meters, first, the identification code and the calling code are assigned to the meters other than the control meter, and the cumulative value is initialized. At the time of this initialization, the registered information is temporarily stored in the memory. Finally, the management code is assigned with the identification code and the calling code, and the cumulative value is initialized.
Since this allocation and initialization are performed from the terminal side, since the information of other meters is stored when the last management meter is registered, it is possible to create a table to be registered in the management meter.

Further, in the present invention, the previous usage amount of the meter is stored in the terminal, and when the cumulative value of the usage amount is received from the meter, the current usage amount and the previous usage amount are compared, If the amount used is more than a predetermined ratio to the amount used last time, an alarm will be issued by light or sound, and the meter data and the amount used last time will be displayed to the meter reader. To call attention.

Further, at the terminal, a meter is provided with a group identification code for management. This group identification code can be arbitrarily set according to a right unit such as an area code or an apartment code when the meter reader performs meter reading. When the cumulative value of the usage is received from the meter, it is compared with the group identification code of the meter and the group identification code of the meter that was read immediately before, and if they differ as a result of the comparison, the group identification code of the meter that was read immediately before is compared. Check if there is an unread meter with a meter that has the same sign as, and if there is an unread meter, display a list of the corresponding meter data,
Call attention to the meter reader.

[0014]

【Example】

<Embodiment 1> An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. The meter is, for example, gas installed in each home,
This is a meter that shows the total amount of water and electricity used. Also,
The terminal is a block configuration diagram of a handy terminal carried by a meter reader.

In the meter, the metering unit 1 measures the amount of energy or service provided, and the counter 2 integrates the metering signals from the metering unit. This integrated value can be integrated as a digital value. The storage unit 3 stores the identification code of the meter and the integrated value integrated by the counter 2. The transmitter 4 transmits the integrated value of the counter and the identification code by electromagnetic waves (radio waves, infrared rays, etc.), and the receiver 5
Receives the transmission instruction signal from the terminal, the identification code, and the counter initial value signal. The receiving unit 5 may be provided with a squelch circuit that outputs a received signal when a specific code or signal is detected. The control unit 6 controls the entire meter, and when the receiving unit 5 receives the transmission instruction signal and the identification code, controls the transmitting unit 4 to output the integrated value and the identification code to the outside. The initial value of the counter is set in the counter 2 and the storage unit 3 is controlled to store the identification code. Although not shown, the meter 1 may be further provided with a display unit for displaying the integrated value integrated by the counter 2.

The terminal is a memory IC which is a storage medium.
A card 9, a display unit 12 such as a liquid crystal panel, a keyboard 13 as input means, a transmission unit 7 for transmitting information by radio waves, and a reception unit 8 for receiving radio waves are included. The overall shape of the terminal 5 is miniaturized so that a meter reader can carry it, and a shape with a liquid crystal display such as a handy pen computer can be considered. The transmission unit 7 of the terminal transmits the transmission instruction signal, the identification code, and the initial value of the counter to the reception unit 5 of the meter, and the reception unit 8 displays the integrated value from the transmission unit 4 of the meter, the identification code, and the customer information. To receive. The memory IC card 9 stores the integrated value and the identification code, the processing unit 10 processes the integrated value in accordance with the identification code received by the receiving unit 8, and the meter reading notification unit 11 performs processing when the processing unit 10 completes the processing. Notify the meter reader of the result by light, sound or vibration. The display unit 12 displays the customer name and address of the meter to be processed, and the keyboard unit 1
3 inputs the initial value of the counter, and the storage unit 14 stores customer information.

Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flow chart of FIG. In this example, a meter reading procedure in the case where the number of meter reading meters is only one at a meter reading position will be described.

A transmission instruction signal is transmitted to the meter by instructing from the keyboard 13 of the terminal (step 21). The transmission instruction signal is transmitted at a preset frequency. When the receiving unit 5 of the meter receives the signal,
The meter control unit 6 includes the counter 2 stored in the storage unit 3.
And the identification code for identifying the customer of the meter are transmitted to the terminal via the transmitter 4 (step 22).
The identification code is stored in the storage unit 3 in advance.

When the receiving unit 8 of the terminal receives the signal, the processing unit 10 of the terminal receives the received integrated value and the identification code, and outputs the previous integrated value of the customer information that matches the identification code from the memory IC card 9. Read this and calculate the current usage by taking the difference from the current integration value (step 2
3). The calculated usage amount is stored in the memory IC card 9 together with the integrated value. The customer information is managed by the central host computer, and necessary information is downloaded from the host computer to the memory IC card 9 before meter reading.

Here, FIG. 3 shows an example of the customer information table. The customer information table has customer information such as an identification code, a customer name, an address, a customer area code, a previous integrated value, a previously used amount, a current integrated value, and a currently used amount. The customer area code is a code assigned to each area divided into a certain number of units in the order of the customers that the meter reader visits. For example, in FIG. 4, the addresses of Mr. A to Mr. J of the customer names are the same a city, b town, 1 chome, so the customer area code is “001”, and the addresses after K are 2 chome, so they are different. The customer area code is “002”. Further, the current integrated value and the current usage amount store the value read this time, and in the case of no meter reading, impossible data, for example, 'ZZZZ' is stored in advance.

For example, according to the customer information table, in the processing section 10, the identification code received by the receiving section 8 is' 0000.
When the value is 1 ', a record (Mr. A's record) matching with' 00001 'is searched, the previous integrated value' 0200 'is read from the customer table of the memory IC card 9, and is stored in the storage unit 14. The difference "0030" between the current integrated value received from the receiving unit 8, in this case "0230" and the previous integrated value "0200" stored in the storage unit 14 is calculated as the current usage amount, and as shown in the figure, This time integrated value is '02
"30" is stored in "30", and "0030" is stored in the currently used amount.

In this way, the amount used this time is calculated,
Next, when the current usage amount is much larger than the previous usage amount, for example, the identification code '000 in the consumer information table
The current usage of '0130' of 4'is the previous usage of '004
Since it is 3 times or more of 0 ', there is a possibility that gas, water, electricity, etc. are leaking or the meter is out of order. Therefore, the processing unit 10 notifies the meter reading notification unit 11 to notify the meter reading staff. To output light or sound to the display unit 12,
A message that the amount used this time is much larger than the amount used last time, a customer name'Mr. D ', an address'a city b town 1 chome', etc. are displayed to confirm the customer who is reading the meter (step 24, 28). When the usage amount is three times or less this time, it is checked whether or not the customer area code of the meter that has been read is different from the customer area code of the meter that has just been read (step 25). Note that the criterion for this check is not necessarily three times, and may be set in consideration of the actual usage status and variations.

If they are different, it is checked whether there is an unread meter in the customer having the immediately preceding customer area code, and if there is, the meter reading notifying section 11 outputs light or sound (step). 26, 28). Further, the display unit 12 displays the customer name, address, etc. of the unread meter. For example, the customer area code “001” during meter reading is stored in the storage unit 14. Next, the identification code of the customer who reads the meter is' 0001
When it is 1 ', the customer area code' 002 'of the customer information table that matches the identification code is read, and the storage unit 14
It is compared with the customer area code “001” stored in. In this case, since the customer area code is different, the current integrated value of the record of the customer information table that matches the customer area code '001' is read, and if it is'ZZZZ ', all the records are stored in the storage unit 14. Then, it is displayed on the display unit 12. This time the integrated value is'ZZZZ 'is Mr. Customer C. Therefore, as the unread meter customer, the customer name C
Display'Mr. 'And address'a city b town 1 chome'. In this way, if the customer area code "001" is not completely completed and the customer area code "002" is entered, a caution is required, and thus meter reading omission can be prevented.

Here, in order to prevent the meter from coming off,
It is possible to provide the following check routine. For example, the customer area code '0 in the customer information table
The keyboard 13 that has been set in advance while reading the area 01 '
By pressing the key, customer area code '001'
The customer name, the address, and the present integrated value of the record of the customer information table that coincides with are read from the memory IC card 9 and stored in the storage unit 14. If the current integrated value of the records stored in the storage unit 14 is a numerical value, it is determined that the meter has been read, and if the current integrated value is'ZZZZ ', the meter is not read and a list of customer names and addresses of meter reading and unread is displayed. It is displayed on the section 12 to call attention to the meter reader. Finally, the integrated value and the current usage amount are stored in the memory IC card 9 and the process is terminated (step 27).

<Embodiment 2> Next, a description will be given of a meter reading procedure in the case where a plurality of meter reading meters are provided at a meter reading position. In the first embodiment, since radio waves are used for meter reading, unless a plurality of frequencies can be transmitted at the same time, meter reading cannot be performed for a plurality of meters at the same time. This is because when radio waves are simultaneously transmitted from a plurality of meter-reading meters, they interfere with each other and the signals cannot be identified. Therefore, the meter-reading meters are designed to be read sequentially.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a plurality of meters and terminals at the meter reading points. This figure shows a state where a plurality of meters are installed side by side at one place in an apartment house or the like. The management meter 41 is a meter that manages all meters and has a meter management table 40 that stores management information of the other meters 44 to 47. The structure of the management meter 41 is such that the meter management table 40 is added to the structure shown in FIG. Meter 42-47
Has the same structure as the meter shown in FIG. Each meter 41
Call codes for transmission / reception are set in .about.47. This is added in order to communicate only with a specific meter by adding a calling code indicated by the DTMF signal to the header of the radio wave to be transmitted or superimposing a tone signal of a specific frequency on the radio wave to be transmitted. Is. This call code is set to a different call code for meters in the same place, that is, for meters that may cause interference when communicating at the same time. Various techniques have been proposed in the field of radio for this interference countermeasure technique, and these techniques can be used.

FIG. 5 shows the details of the meter management table 40. The management table includes a total number 51 of meters, a start call code 52 and an end call code 53. The total number 51 is for registering the number of meters at that location, and is the number managed by the management meter 41,
Here, it is "7". The start call code 52 is the first value of the call code. The end call code 53 is the last value of the call code. In this example, the call codes of the meters 41 to 47 are continuously provided, but it is not always necessary to make them continuous, and it is possible to retrieve the number of meters to be managed and their respective identifiers as in this example. Any method will do. The meter name 54 is a name attached to each meter, and here, the meter number is simply added. The call code 55 is a code assigned to transmit / receive with a specific meter. Identification code 56
Is a code to identify the customer of each meter,
It is the same as that shown in FIG. In the present embodiment, both the meter name 54 and the identification code 56 are stored, but in order to specify a certain meter, either one of them is stored.
It goes without saying that one is all right.

Next, with reference to the flow chart of FIG. 6, a procedure for meter reading when there are a plurality of meters at the meter reading points will be described. First, as shown in FIG. 4, when the meters are installed centrally, communication with the management meter is performed (step 61). This is the meter 4 which received this signal when it was sent from the terminal with the calling code '001'.
1 to 47 compare with the call code assigned to the own meter, and if they match, respond. Meters that do not match will not respond. This causes the management meter 41 to respond. When the management meter 41 responds, the integrated value of the management meter and the identification codes of all the meters stored in the meter management table of FIG. 5 are returned to the terminal (step 62). The terminal receiving the information calculates the usage amount of the management meter 41 (step 63). This calculation method may be performed in the same manner as steps 23 to 28 in FIG. When the processing of the management meter 41 is completed, it is checked whether the total number 51 of the meter management tables 40 is one (step 64). 1
In the case of a stand, this means that there is no other meter at that location, so the processing ends. If the number is not one, it is checked whether the calling code currently being processed matches the ending calling code 53 (step 65). Immediately after the processing of the management meter 41, this call code is "001",
Since it does not match the termination call code 53, the process proceeds to the next step, and the management code of the next meter is read (step 66). Next, the read management code is used to communicate with the next meter to receive the identification code and the integrated value (step 67), and the usage amount is calculated (step 68).
This process may be performed in the same manner as steps 23 to 28 in FIG. Then, the process returns to step 65, and steps 66 to 68 are repeated until the final meter.

With the above configuration, even when there are a plurality of terminals at the same point, transmission / reception can be performed without interference.

<Third Embodiment> Next, referring to FIGS. 7 and 8,
A procedure for initializing the counter value stored in the meter storage unit 3 will be described. FIG. 7 is a procedure for initializing the meter when the meter is the only meter reading point.

In FIG. 7, the processing unit 10 is a memory IC.
The record of the customer information table is read from the card 9, and a list of customer names and addresses is displayed on the display unit 12. The meter-reader selects a consumer of the meter to be initialized from among them (step 71). For example, a number is assigned to each customer in the list, a meter reader inputs the number of the customer to be initialized from the keyboard 13 to select an identification code, and inputs the initial value of the counter 2 from the keyboard 13 (step 72), the key of the keyboard 13 which has been set in advance for initialization of the meter is pressed to transmit the identification code and the initial value to the meter (step 73). The control unit 6 of the meter sets the received initial value in the counter 2 and stores the identification code in the storage unit 3 (step 74).

The procedure for initializing the meter when there are a plurality of meters at the meter reading position will be described with reference to FIG. The processing unit 10 reads a record of the customer information table from the memory IC card 9 and displays a list of customer names and addresses on the display unit 12. The meter-reader selects a customer of the meters 42 to 47 to be initialized from among them (step 81).
For example, a number is assigned to each customer in the list, the meter reader inputs the number of the customer to be initialized from the keyboard 13 to select the identification code, and inputs the initial value of the counter 2 from the keyboard 13 ( Step 82), press the key of the keyboard 13 that has been set in advance for initialization of the meter,
The identification code and the initial value are transmitted to the meters 42 to 49 (step 83). At this time, a call code assigned to each meter is set and transmitted at the same time.

Note that the name of the customer and the address are displayed on the display unit 12 so that the meter reader can recognize what the meter that has been initialized is. Further, these transmitted data are temporarily stored in the storage unit 14 of the terminal. (Step 8
4). The control unit 6 of the meters 42 to 47 sets the received initial value in the counter 2 and stores the identification code in the storage unit 3.

Next, the customer of the management meter 21 to be initialized is selected from the list of customer names and addresses displayed on the display unit 12 (step 85). For example, a number is assigned to each customer in the list, the meter reader inputs the number of the customer to be initialized from the keyboard 13 to select it, and inputs the initial value of the counter 2 from the keyboard 13 (step 87). ,
By pressing the key of the keyboard 13 which has been set in advance for initialization of the management meter, the identification code of the management meter and the initial value and the identification codes of the meters 42 to 49 stored in the storage unit 14 are transmitted to the management meter 41 ( Step 87). The control unit 6 of the management meter 41 sets the received initial value to the counter 2
The meter 41 to 47 identification code is stored in the storage unit 3 (step 88). At this time, the data of the meter management table 40 of FIG. 5 is created based on the data of the meters 42 to 47 stored in the storage unit 14 and sent to the management meter 41.

In this way, if the management meter 41 is set at the end when each meter is initialized, the initialization of the other meters is completed, so that the meter management table 40 can be easily set by the terminal. Can be created and registered.

Although the embodiments of the invention of the present application have been described above with reference to the <embodiment 1> to <embodiment 3>, the invention of the present application is not limited thereto, and various applications and modifications are possible.

For example, in addition to the method of setting the management meter 21 and managing the identification codes of all the meters 21 to 29 to perform meter reading, the meters 21 to 29 are given unique numbers only for the meter reading points, for example, Number of meter 21 is 1, meter 22
2 to the number 9 of the meter 29. The terminal sequentially transmits the transmission instruction signal from the number 1 to the meter. Only the meter corresponding to that number transmits the identification code and integrated value. It is not necessary for the terminal to store the number of meters up to the meter reading position. For example, when the number 10 is transmitted, if the meter does not transmit, it is determined that the meter reading is all finished.

The call code to be set is a plurality of managed meters (ex.000 to 010), and the managed meters are other codes (ex.011 to 999).
When calling the management meter, the calling code is sequentially transmitted from 000 to 010, and if other meters are called from the meter management table obtained from the responding management meter, the interference of the calling itself of the management meter can be prevented. The effect is that it can be prevented.

Further, the integrated value transmitted by the meter control unit 6 is the value of the counter 2 at the time of meter reading, but when the integrated value at any date and time is to be read, the control unit 6 is provided with a timer function, If the integrated value of the counter 2 is stored in the storage unit 3 at an arbitrary date and time, and the integrated value is transmitted to the terminal when the transmission instruction signal is received, there is an effect that it is possible to cope with the day when the meter reading is delayed by several days. Further, when the usage amount of the consumer is to be investigated, the same can be done if the integrated value of the counter 2 for every fixed time is stored in the storage unit 3.

[0040]

As described above, according to the present invention, the meter-reader can direct the meter to the meter while holding the terminal and send and receive signals to automatically measure the usage of a plurality of meters, without burdening the meter-reader. Easy and accurate meter reading of gas, water and electricity usage.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a system configuration diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a flowchart of automatic meter reading of the meter of the first embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a customer information table.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a plurality of meters and terminals at meter reading points.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing details of a meter management table 40 of a management meter 41.

FIG. 6 is a meter reading flowchart in the case where there are a plurality of meters at meter reading points.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart for setting an initial value of a meter counter and an identification code for only one meter reading position.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart for setting an initial value and an identification code of counters of a plurality of meters at a meter reading position.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... Metering unit, 2 ... Counter, 3 ... Storage unit, 4 ... Transmission unit (meter), 5 ... Reception unit (meter), 6 ... Control unit, 7 ...
Transmitter (terminal), 8 ... Receiver (terminal), 9 ...
Memory IC card, 10 ... Processing unit, 11 ... Meter reading notification unit,
12 ... Display unit, 13 ... Keyboard unit, 14 ... Storage unit, 4
1 ... Management meter, 42-47 ... Meter

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A meter reading system for measuring the integrated value of a meter by transmitting and receiving a signal from a terminal by an electromagnetic wave to a meter for accumulating a cumulative value of the amount of energy or service provided, and wherein the meter is the same. When there are multiple units at the location, a call code for calling a specific meter with electromagnetic waves is set for each meter, and one of the multiple units is assigned as a management meter, and the meter is located at that location. It stores the identification code and call code of other meters.The terminal first communicates with the control meter to read the integrated value and receives the identification code and call code of other meters, and then receives the received identification code and call code. A meter reading method for a plurality of meters, which is characterized by performing meter reading of other meters based on a code. 2. A meter reading system for measuring the integrated value of a meter by transmitting and receiving a signal from a terminal by an electromagnetic wave to the meter for accumulating the accumulated value of the amount of energy or service provided, and the meter is the same. If there are multiple units in the location, set a call code for each meter to call a specific meter with electromagnetic waves, assign one of the multiple units as a control meter, and Assign the identification code and call code, initialize the cumulative value, and assign the identification code and call code to the management meter.
A meter initial setting method for a meter reading system, which comprises initializing a cumulative value and storing identification codes and calling codes of other meters located at that location. 3. A meter reading system for measuring a meter integrated value by transmitting and receiving a signal from a terminal by electromagnetic waves to a meter for accumulating a cumulative value of the amount of energy or service provided. The previous usage of the meter is stored, and when the cumulative usage value is received from the above meter, the current usage and the previous usage are compared, and the current usage is compared with the previous usage. If the ratio exceeds a predetermined ratio, an alarm is issued, and the data of the customer of the meter and the previous and current usage amount are displayed. 4. A meter reading system for measuring a meter integrated value by transmitting and receiving a signal from a terminal to a meter for accumulating a cumulative value of the amount of energy or service to be provided, the meter being a group. An identification code is provided and managed by the terminal.When the cumulative value of the usage amount is received from the meter, the group identification code of the meter is compared with the group identification code of the meter just read, and the comparison is made. If the result is different, check whether there is an unread meter with a meter having the same code as the group identification code of the meter that was read immediately before, and if there is an unread meter, display a list of the corresponding meter data. How to display unread data.